Laser Frequency Research Articles

Coherent instabilities in thulium-based fiber amplifiers induced by laser frequency modulation

Frequency modulation of narrow-linewidth lasers can cause coherent backscattering in cladding-pumped fiber amplifiers. This detrimental effect can be observed in Tm-based fiber amplifiers and can be an additional limitation for power scaling applications. We investigate such instabilities in Tm- and Tm/Ho-doped fiber amplifiers for a wide range of design parameters (active fiber length, pumping scheme, dopant type) and operation regimes (laser frequency tuning rate, amplifier gain). For each amplifier configuration, the backward-propagating (BP) signal is found to peak at a specific laser frequency tuning rate, with an amplitude and a frequency that increase with increasing amplifier gain and fiber length.

Using slow light to enable laser frequency stabilization to a short, high-Q cavity

Using slow light to enable laser frequency stabilization to a short, high-Q cavity

Suppression of Clock-Jitter Noise and Laser Phase Noise in Arm Locking

Abstract Arm-locking technique has been a focus of attention as one of the means to suppress the laser phase noise in space-based gravitational wave (GW) detector. 
 The main idea of the arm-locking technique is to transfer the stability of the detector arm length to laser frequency by introducing a feedback control loop. 
 Generally, laser phase noise will be suppressed by an amount similar to the magnitude of the controller gain. 
 However, on the one hand, clock-jitter noise and optical bench motion noise, as the noise floor of the arm-locking technique, need to be suppressed. 
 On the other hand, limited by the Doppler frequency pulling, the gain of the controller generally cannot be too large.
 It means that even if we do not consider clock-jitter noise and optical bench motion noise, it is difficult to suppress laser phase noise below the noise floor only by arm-locking technique. 
 In this work, we combine self-referenced optical frequency combs (OFC) and arm-locking technique to generate clock signals that are coherently referenced to the closed-loop laser beams, so that the clock-jitter noise is also suppressed by about the level of controller gain.
 We conduct a simulation on the above configuration, and the results show that the performance of the arm-locking is limited by clock-jitter noise in the low-frequency band. 
 To address the issue of insufficient laser phase noise suppression by the arm-locking technique, we further investigate Time-delay interferometry (TDI) combinations under outputs of arbitrary arm-locking configurations. 
 We obtain the equations for eliminating laser phase noise.
 To ensure that the TDI combinations can directly operate in the time domain, we derive a restricted solution space by assuming a specific form for the solutions.

Monolithic dispersion engineered mid-infrared quantum cascade laser frequency comb

The high-power quantum cascade laser (QCL) frequency comb capable of room temperature operation is of great interest to high-precision measurement and low-noise molecular spectroscopy. While a significant amount of research is devoted to the longwave spectral range, shortwave 3–5 μm QCL combs are still relatively underdeveloped due to the excessive material dispersion. In this work, we propose a monolithic integrated multimode waveguide scheme for effective dispersion engineering and high-power-efficiency operation. Over watt-level output power at room temperature with a wall plug efficiency of 7% and robust dispersion reduction is achieved from a quantum cascade laser frequency comb at a wavelength approximately 4.6 μm. Narrow beatnote linewidth less than 1 kHz and clear dual-comb multiheterodyne comb lines manifest the coherent phase relation among the comb modes which is crucial to fast molecular spectroscopy. This monolithic dispersion engineered waveguide design is also compatible to an efficient active–passive optical coupling scheme and would open up a new research playground for ring comb and on-chip dual-comb spectroscopy.

Far-Detuning Laser Frequency Disturbance Suppression for Atomic Sensor Based on Intrinsic Fiber Fabry–Pérot Cavity

Far-Detuning Laser Frequency Disturbance Suppression for Atomic Sensor Based on Intrinsic Fiber Fabry–Pérot Cavity

Tunable 30 GHz laser frequency comb for astronomical spectrograph characterization and calibration.

The search for Earth-like exoplanets with the Doppler radial velocity (RV) technique is an extremely challenging and multifaceted precision spectroscopy problem. Currently, one of the limiting instrumental factors in reaching the required long-term 10-10 level of radial velocity precision is the defect-driven subpixel quantum efficiency (QE) variations in the large-format detector arrays used by precision echelle spectrographs. Tunable frequency comb calibration sources that can fully map the point spread function (PSF) across a spectrograph's entire bandwidth are necessary for quantifying and correcting these detector artifacts. In this work, we demonstrate a combination of laser frequency and mode spacing control that allows full and deterministic tunability of a 30 GHz electro-optic comb together with its filter cavity. After supercontinuum generation, this gives access to any optical frequency across 700-1300 nm. Our specific implementation is intended for the comb deployed at the Habitable-Zone Planet Finder (HPF) spectrograph and its near-infrared Hawaii-2RG array, but the techniques apply to all laser frequency combs (LFCs) used for precision astronomical spectrograph calibration and other applications that require broadband tuning.

A VIPA spectrograph with ultra-high spectral resolution, ultra-high wavelength calibration accuracy and wide spectral range

Abstract Spectrographs with ultra-high spectral resolution, ultra-high wavelength calibration accuracy, and wide spectral range hold immense potential in broad scientific frontiers, such as precise spectral measurement, femtosecond pulse shaping, and spectral beam combining, etc. In this paper, we have constructed a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) based spectrograph, leveraging a laser frequency comb for precise wavelength calibration. The calibration methods specifically for the broadband VIPA spectrograph are presented. The spectrograph achieves a resolution exceeding 650,000, a wavelength calibration accuracy better than 0.05 pm, and a remarkable bandwidth of over 110 nm. Spectral measurements are conducted with the spectrograph, and the results validate the performance.

Anomalous Subkelvin Thermal Frequency Shifts of Ultranarrow Linewidth Solid State Emitters

We investigate the frequency response of narrow spectral holes in a doped crystal structure as a function of temperature below 1 K. We identify a particular regime in which this response significantly deviates from the expected two-phonon Raman scattering theory. Namely, near 290 mK, we observed a behavior exhibiting a temperature-dependent frequency shift of zero to first order. This is of particular interest for applications that require high frequency stability, such as laser frequency stabilization, as by operating the scheme at this specific point would result in the spectral hole frequency being highly immune to temperature fluctuations, providing the potential for a laser fractional frequency instability as low as ∼2×10−22 at 1 s. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Speckle decorrelation rate as a robust indicator for visualizing the therapeutic thermal field with OCT.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is evolving from a diagnostic imaging modality to one that also facilitates therapeutic procedures. However, visualizing the therapeutic thermal field during minimally invasive thermal treatments such as laser or radio frequency ablation is challenging. This difficulty arises because tissues show minimal optical property changes until they reach the coagulation threshold at approximately 50 ∘C. To address this, we introduce the speckle decorrelation rate as a new, to our knowledge, contrast mechanism for OCT, enhancing the visualization of the therapeutic thermal field. Through ex vivo tissue experiments on a laser ablation-OCT surveillance system, we demonstrate that the speckle decorrelation rate offers superior sensitivity to detect subtle temperature changes and is less sensitive to the selection of time intervals for decorrelation calculations compared to existing speckle decorrelation methods. Our approach, which is label-free and compatible with various OCT systems, has been validated across diverse biological tissues, showing potential to augment the precision and safety of thermal therapies. Additionally, we propose a GPU-accelerated pipeline to expedite processing time, making real-time thermal field visualization feasible.

Low-noise laser frequency locking with a directly modulated microresonator

Low-noise laser frequency locking with a directly modulated microresonator

Multi-Wavelength Narrow-Spacing Laser Frequency Stabilization Technology Based on Fabry-Perot Etalon

Classical frequency-stabilized lasers have achieved high-frequency stability and reproducibility; however, their extensive wavelength spacing limits their utility in various scenarios. This study introduces a novel frequency-stabilized laser scheme that integrates a Fabry-Perot etalon (FPE) with digital control technology and wavelength modulation techniques. The FPE, characterized by multiple transmission peaks at minimal frequency intervals, provides stable frequency references for different lasers, thereby enhancing the system’s flexibility and adaptability. An error signal is derived from the first-order differentiation of the FPE’s transmission curve. A 180° phase difference was observed in the feedback output signal when the laser’s central frequency diverged from the reference, determining that the direction of the frequency control was accordingly determined.Employing feedback control, the laser’s output frequency is stabilized at the transmission peak frequency of the FPE. Experimental results demonstrate that this stabilization scheme effectively locks the laser’s output wavelength to different transmission peak frequencies of the FPE, achieving 25 GHz wavelength spacing. The frequency stability is improved by two orders of magnitude on a second-level timescale, maintained within hundreds of kHz, equating to a frequency stability level of 10−10.

Additive manufacturing of functionalised atomic vapour cells for next-generation quantum technologies

Abstract Atomic vapour cells are an indispensable tool for quantum technologies (QT), but potential improvements are limited by the capacities of conventional manufacturing techniques. Using an additive manufacturing (AM) technique – vat polymerisation by digital light processing - we demonstrate, for the first time, a 3D-printed glass vapour cell. The exploitation of AM capacities allows intricate internal architectures, overprinting of 2D optoelectronical materials to create integrated sensors and surface functionalisation, while also showing the ability to tailor the optical properties of the AM glass by in-situ growth of gold nanoparticles. The produced cells achieve ultra-high vacuum of 2 x 10-9 mbar and enable Doppler-free spectroscopy; we demonstrate laser frequency stabilisation as a QT application. These results highlight the transformative role that AM can play for QT in enabling compact, optimised and integrated multi-material components and devices.

Highly Nonlinear Light-Nucleus Interaction.

The interaction between light and atomic nuclei is typically weak and confined within the linear and perturbative regime, which limits the achievable nuclear excitation probability and impedes potential applications such as nuclear optical clocks, nuclear lasers, and nuclear energy storage. In this Letter we show that the interaction between hydrogenlike thorium-229 ions (^{229}Th^{89+}) and contemporary intense lasers propels light-nucleus interaction into a highly nonlinear and nonperturbative regime. This interaction unlocks remarkably efficient nuclear excitation: over 10% of the ^{229}Th nuclei can be excited to the isomeric state by a single femtosecond laser pulse. Moreover, the laser-driven ^{229}Th^{89+} ions radiate multiple wavelengths of light that are high-order harmonics of the laser frequency, akin to the high harmonic generation process from laser-driven atoms but with distinct characteristics. These results pioneer a new frontier for exploring light-matter interaction, furnish a powerful method for efficient control over atomic nuclei, and pave a new way of nuclear coherent light emission.

Manipulation of high-fidelity sidebands under Large detuning by Floquet technology: application to Multi-Mode Cooling

Abstract The Floquet technology, a powerful way to manipulate quantum states, is employed to drive sidebands transition under large detuning. Our results demonstrate that high fidelities over 99% can be achieved through optimizing suitable modulation frequencies under large detuning. We observe high-fidelity transitions within a high bandwidth by utilizing a single modulation frequency and reveal this capability is due to the emergence of a flat-band structure in the bandwidth range. The key finding of high-fidelity sideband manipulation under large detuning is experimentally confirmed in nuclear magnetic resonance platform. Finally, we propose a new parallel sideband cooling scheme that enables simultaneous cooling of multiple motional modes. This approach improves the cooling rate compared to conventional schemes with fixed laser frequency and power, and eliminates the need for mode-specific addressing. Our Floquet parallel scheme is applicable to any harmonic oscillator system and is not limited by bandwidth in theory.

Suppression of the vapor cell temperature error in a spin-exchange relaxation-free comagnetometer

Abstract The fluctuation of the vapor cell temperature leads to the variations of the density of the alkali metal atoms, which seriously damages the long-term stability of the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) comagnetometer. To address this problem, we propose a novel method for suppressing the cell temperature error by manipulating the probe laser frequency. A temperature coefficient model of the SERF comagnetometer is established based on the steady-state response, which indicates that the comagnetometer can be tuned to a working point where the output signal is insensitive to the cell temperature fluctuation, and the working point is determined by the relaxation rate of the alkali metal atoms. The method is verified in a K-Rb-21Ne comagnetometer, and the experimental results are consistent with the theory. The theory and method presented here lay a foundation for the practical applications of the SERF comagnetometer.

Characterization of heterodyne optical phase locking for relative laser frequency noise suppression in differential measurement

Characterization of heterodyne optical phase locking for relative laser frequency noise suppression in differential measurement

Three-Dimensional Magneto-Optical Trapping of Barium Monofluoride.

As a heavy molecule, barium monofluoride (BaF) presents itself as a promising candidate for measuring permanent electric dipole moment. Here we report the realization of three-dimensional magneto-optical trapping (MOT) of BaF molecules. Through the repumping of all the vibrational states up to v=3, and rotational states up to N=3, we effectively close the transition to a leakage level lower than 10^{-5}. This approach enables molecules to scatter a sufficient number of photons required for laser cooling and trapping. By employing a technique that involves chirping the slowing laser frequency, BaF molecules are decelerated to near-zero velocity, resulting in the capture of approximately 3×10^{3} molecules in a MOT. Our findings represent a significant step towards the realization of ultracold BaF molecules and the conduct of precision measurements with cold molecules.

Microwave field sensor based on cold cesium Rydberg three-photon electromagnetically induced spectroscopy

Abstract We present the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) spectra of cold Rydberg four-level cascade atoms consisting of the 6S1/2 → 6P3/2 → 7S1/2 → 60P3/2 scheme. A coupling laser drives the Rydberg transition, a dressing laser couples two intermediate levels and a weak probe laser probes the EIT signal. We numerically solve the Bloch equations and investigate the dependence of the probe transmission rate signal on the coupling and dressing lasers. We find that the probe transmission rate can display an EIT or electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) profile, depending on the Rabi frequencies of the coupling and dressing lasers. When we increase the Rabi frequency of the coupling laser and keep the Rabi frequency of the probe and dressing laser fixed, flipping of the EIA to EIT spectrum occurs at the critical coupling Rabi frequency. When we apply a microwave field coupling the transition 60P3/2 → 61S1/2, the EIT spectrum shows Autler–Townes splitting, which is employed to measure the microwave field. The theoretical measurement sensitivity can be 1.52 × 10−2 nV⋅cm−1⋅Hz−1/2 at the EIA–EIT flipping point.

Accurate calibration spectra for precision radial velocities

Astronomical spectrographs require calibration of their dispersion relation, for which external sources like hollow-cathode lamps or absorption-gas cells are useful. Laser frequency combs (LFCs) are often regarded as ideal calibrators because they provide the highest accuracy and dense sampling, but LFCs are facing operational challenges such as generating blue visual light or tunable offset frequencies. As an example of an external source, we aim to provide a precise and accurate frequency solution for the spectrum of molecular iodine absorption by referencing to an LFC that does not cover the same frequency range. We used a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) to produce a consistent frequency scale for the combined spectrum from an iodine absorption cell at 5200– 6200 Å and an LFC at 8200 Å. We used 17 807 comb lines to determine the FTS frequency offset and compared the calibrated iodine spectrum to a synthetic spectrum computed from a molecular potential model. In a single scan, the frequency offset was determined from the comb spectrum with an uncertainty of ∼1 cms−1. The distribution of comb line frequencies is consistent with no deviation from linearity. The iodine observation matches the model with an offset of smaller than the model uncertainties of ∼1 m s−1, which confirms that the FTS zero point is valid outside the range covered by the LFC, and that the frequencies of the iodine absorption model are accurate. We also report small systematic effects regarding the iodine model’s energy scale. We conclude that Fourier Transform Spectrometry can transfer LFC accuracy into frequency ranges not originally covered by the comb. This allows us to assign accurate frequency scales to the spectra of customized wavelength calibrators. The calibrators can be optimized for individual spectrograph designs regarding resolution and spectral bandwidth, and requirements on their long-term stability are relaxed because FTS monitoring can be performed during operation. This provides flexibility for the design and operation of calibration sources for high-precision Doppler experiments.

Self-Referencing Laser Frequency Stabilization Using Dual-Polarization Integrated Silicon Micro-Ring Resonator

Self-Referencing Laser Frequency Stabilization Using Dual-Polarization Integrated Silicon Micro-Ring Resonator